Insulating-conduit



1. AJSCHARWATH.

INSULATING CONDUIT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I5, 1918.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

JOHN A. SCHARVIATI, Of? ELIZABETH, NEYVV JERSEY.

INSULTING-CONDUI'I.

Original application filed January 15, 1916, Serial No. 72,197'. Divided Serial No. 211,920.

To all lwlw/m, t may concern:

Be it known that 1, Jol-1N A.. Sorianwarn a citizen ofthe `United States of America, and a resident of Elizabeth, Union county, and State of il ew Jersey, VUnited States of rimer-ica, have invented certain new and useful Yimproveinents in insulating"` Corr duits, of which the followings` is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to striiictures for insulating against the transfer lof heat and has especial reference to a conduit or similar structure for the protection of steam and hot water pipes, or of pipes` containing refrigoratingI liquids against the transfer of heat from or to the pipes.

This application is in part a division and in part a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 7 2,197 liledV January 15, 1916. l

@ne object of my invention is to provide a building),` unit or tile that shall be particularly well adapted for use in constructing conduits for steam pipes and the like, or re- :frigeii'ating pipes, and also for the construction of walls or partitions for heated or refrigerated chambers, or for general use in buildings or dwellings.

rinother object is to provide a simple and durable conduit structure that shall practically avoid loss of heat by radiation and prevent circulation of air and that shall be impervious to moisture.

Another object is to provide a building unit for conduits that shall comprise simple and effective means for supporting` one or more trai'isverse rods or carriers on which pipes or other transmission members may be mounted within the conduit.

@ther objects and advantages of my invention will be set forth hereinafter, and in order that my invention may be thoroughly understood 1 will now proceed to describe the same in the following specification, and then point out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring; to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a section of conduit arranged and constructed in accordance with my invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the building units employed inthe conduits of Fig. 1 and which .in itself constitutes a part of my invention.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rate-interi ring. 31

and this application filed anuary The conduit illustrated is particularly adapted for use under ground, to provide a protective casing1 for pipes transmitting steam, hot water, or refrigerated liquids, or in fact any fluid which it desired to maintain at a temperature either g iter or less than the temperature of the surroiuiding earth. Y

17V hile 1 have shown a. conduit of substantially square section, my invention is by no means restricted to the form et conduit and the building units of my invention may be utilized for producing conduits of circular, se1ni-circular, hexagonal, or other desired forms.

ris clearly shown in the drawings, the conduit is built up of hollow brick or tiles whirh extend longitudinally and have a plurality of longitudnrally extei ling` holes designated by 10. 'ifhe holes are preferably cylindrical in form and materially improve the 'insulating eii'ectiveness" of the block without weakeningl it to any material eX- tend.- iii' the bottom of the conduit there are corner bricks 11 and 12 and intermediate bricks 1B. rlfhe number of inti-irmeifiiate bricks will of course depend on the size of theconduit. lThe side walls include the corner bricks 11 and '12, intermediate bricks 1&1 and 15 mounted thereon, and top corner bricks 16. rllhe bricks 16 are of sufficient size to extend across the top of the conduit.

The bricksli arev half-size and are provided with grooves or notches ,17 in one side. 'llhey are assembled with the grooves inside the conduit so 'that they form pockets providing shoulders on which transverse supporting' rods 18 are mounted.

AThe bricks 15 are provided with two grooves 17 which areV spaced apart and are also located in the conduit. The pipe supporting vrods are mounted in any or all of the notches 17.

1t will be Vobserved that the conduit and insulating-materials of my invention are particularly arranged and adapted for the vprotection of steam pipes'and the like, since' special provision is made in every case against the corroding inlluence of moisture.

rlfhe bricks have interlocking` projections and grooves 30 and 31 which cooperate Aloosely so as to permitfcement or any moisture-proof seal to be introduced or attached while they are benign `V laid in position.y rllhe sides of the projections and grooves are provided with keyways 32 which are adapted vto receive keys, such as iron or steel rods 33. rhese rods are removable, are of considerable length, and when in place they prevent the separation of the bricks and materially reinforce and strengthen the structure.

I prefer to utilize within the conduit directly surrounding the steam pipes, for example, a quantity of small insulating bodies fr0, which may correspond in size to pea coal, each body consisting of a small piece of corkfof irregular shffti'se having an env' p or Vcoating of concrete and plaster for example, and by reason of thisV heat protective coating the cork is enabled to resist relatively high temperatures even though the thilness of the entr-lop or :finit-ing comparatively smalk-lg for example. rFliese coated bodies which have the appear-- ance of small pebbles are filled into the space in the conduit around the pipes This insulating mass forms the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 72,19?, of which this application is in part a divi-- sion and in part a continuation.

In order to preclude the possibility of a circulation of airthrough the conduit and to connue the insulating filling material which surrounds the piping within the conduit, I prefer to provide atbuilding entrances, manholes, pits, etc., a shutter which is not affectedby heat or moisture and may for example, be formed oli vitriiied asbestos board 85' closing the endsl of the holes 10.

In building up the conduit,'the bricks or tile are preferably arranged to break joints longitudinally and are laid in'cement, mortar, or other form of water repelling seal or bond, like bricks in a wall, the end joints however, of drainagechambers 21 not being sealed so as to provide for the free entrance of water into same.

Theconduit may be enlarged laterally to provide additional space for a valve, or to povide anchorage pits, manholes or the li ze.

The tiles may be formed of any suitable substance such as cement, clay, plaster or metal, and if desired, any or all outer surfaces of the tile may be coated with bituminous or other water repellant material. The keys or rods 33 are made removable so that by pulling them out some of the bricks or tiles may be removed for the purpose of giving access to the central chamber in which the pipes are placed. f

By not cilosingror sealing the ends of a series of the openings 10 anauxilia'ry'conduit for wires, small pipes and the like may ybeprovided.

What I claim is:

Y 1. In a structure of scribed, bricks orblocks having intertting tongues and grooves and provided with cothe character de-V operating opposed key slots in the sides of said tongues and grooves and rods or keys engaged in said cooperating key slots and removable therefrom for the purpose of enabling separation of the bricks or blocks thus keyed together.

. site side bricks having grooves and a rod adapted to coperate with the grooves, and providing a transverse carrier in the conduit.

il. In a conduit, the combination of a plurality of bricksconstituting opposite side walls and having longitudinal shoulders integral therewith Vfor adjustablyV supporting a transverse pipe carrier at its ends.

5. In a conduit, the combination of a plurality of bricks constituting opposite side walls and having longitudinal grooves Vformed therein, and transverse rods spaced longitudinally of the conduit and each mounted therein with its ends extending into a pair of opposite grooves.

6. A conduit for steam pipes or the like comprising hollow bricks having coperating projections or grooves, coperating key slots in the sides of the projections and grooves, and removable rods or keys in the key slots for locking the bricks together, the bricks which constitute the opposite side walls of the conduit having longitudinal shoulders integral therewith for adjustably supporting the ends of a transverse pipe carrier. Y i

7. An insulating structure comprising bricks or blocks assembled to form and surround a conduit, said'bricks having longitudinal tongue and groove joints and key slots in the sides of the tongues and grooves, and removablejrods or keys in the key slots extending longitudinally of the structureV for considerable distances for locking the bricks or blocks together and reinforcing l the structure, the bricks which constitute opposite sidewalls of the conduit having longitudinal grooves formed therein and transverse rods spaced longitudinally of the con-V duit and each mounted therein with its ends extending into a pair of opposite grooves.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10 day'of J an., 1918.

JOHN A. soHAnwATH. 

